What to Expect at the Columbia Icefield Skywalk
How the day runs at the Columbia Icefield: check-in, the shuttle, the glass floor, the glacier, how long it takes, what to wear, and what can go wrong.
The Columbia Icefield is not a place you wander into. Everything runs from one building on Highway 93, on a shuttle timetable, in weather that changes faster than the forecast — and the whole visit takes between one and three hours depending on which ticket you hold. Here is how the day actually unfolds, and the handful of things worth knowing before you set off.
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Arriving at the Discovery Centre
Everything starts at the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre, on Highway 93 in Jasper National Park — about 100 km south of Jasper townsite, 130 km north of Lake Louise and roughly 180 km from Banff. It is the only building for a long way in either direction, and you cannot miss it: the Athabasca Glacier is directly across the valley from the car park.
Getting there is your own responsibility. No attraction ticket includes transport, and a day tour from Banff or Calgary drops you here rather than taking you onto the ice. Fill the tank before you leave — there is no fuel between Saskatchewan River Crossing and the Icefield.
Check in inside, and expect a queue in high summer. Washrooms are here, and this is the last place you will see one: there are none on the glacier excursion and none at the Skywalk.
The glacier half, if you have the combined ticket
You board an Ice Explorer — a red all-terrain coach on tires taller than most people — which drops down the lateral moraine and out onto the Athabasca Glacier. The descent is steeper than it looks in photographs, and your driver-guide narrates the way down: how far the ice has retreated, what the moraine you are crossing used to be, how the six outlet glaciers of the Columbia Icefield relate to each other.
At the bottom you step out into a roped area on the ice for about twenty minutes. That is the one hard time limit in the whole visit. Meltwater runs across the surface and you are invited to fill a bottle from it — bring an empty one, because nothing is sold out there. It is cold, bright and windy, and the ice is uneven and slick in places.
Twenty minutes sounds short. In practice, between photographs, the water and simply standing on it, most people find it about right.
The Skywalk half
A second shuttle runs south along the Parkway to the Skywalk. There is no public parking there — the shuttle is compulsory, which is why it is bundled into every ticket rather than sold separately.
You collect an audio guide and walk roughly a kilometre of interpretive boardwalk along the cliff edge, past panels on the geology, the fossil record and the wildlife in the valley below. Then the walkway curves away from the rock and the floor turns to glass, with 918 feet — 280 metres — of air between you and the Sunwapta River. The valley opens north, glaciers hang on the peaks above, and waterfalls run down the rock face beside the platform for most of the season.
There is no time limit here. If you are waiting on the light, you can wait.
How long the whole thing takes
About an hour for the Skywalk on its own: shuttle out, boardwalk, platform, shuttle back.
About three hours for the combined ticket: the Ice Explorer either side of twenty minutes on the ice, the transfer, and as long as you want on the Skywalk. Both tickets are valid for the day you book, so those are practical estimates rather than limits.
Add the driving. From Banff that is five to six hours of road on top, which is why the Icefield day is a full day whichever way you do it.
What to wear and bring
The Discovery Centre is above 2,000 metres and the glacier makes its own weather. It runs cold and windy in every month the attractions are open.
- Warm layers, including gloves and a waterproof jacket. July is not an exception.
- Closed shoes with grip. The glacier surface is wet, uneven and slippery.
- Sunscreen and sunglasses. Glare off the ice is strong even under cloud.
- An empty bottle for glacier meltwater.
- A camera you can operate with cold hands.
- Photo ID, which the operator asks you to carry.
Pets, luggage and large bags are not allowed on the excursions.
What can go wrong
Weather. The excursion can be rescheduled or cancelled outright. Pursuit’s own advice is to book your first available day so there is room to move it; if rescheduling is impossible, a refund is provided. The audio guides are withdrawn in rain.
Your slot selling out. Departures run every 15 to 30 minutes, and if the time you requested is full you are offered a later one. That is fine if you are driving and awkward if a day tour is waiting for you at the Discovery Centre.
Crowds. It is a busy attraction and the morning coaches arrive together. The operator suggests an afternoon visit for a quieter experience, and it is good advice.
Assuming your day tour includes entry. It almost certainly does not — see which Columbia Icefield tour is right for you for how the two products fit together.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the Columbia Icefield Skywalk take?
About an hour for the Skywalk alone, including the shuttle from the Discovery Centre and a kilometre of boardwalk. Allow around three hours for the combined ticket that adds the Ice Explorer glacier excursion. Both tickets are valid for the whole day.
How long do you get on the Athabasca Glacier?
About twenty minutes in the roped visitor area. It is the only firm time limit in the visit; time on the Skywalk is not capped.
What should I wear to the Columbia Icefield?
Warm layers with gloves and a waterproof jacket, closed shoes with grip, sunglasses and sunscreen. The Discovery Centre sits above 2,000 metres and the glacier is considerably colder than the valley floor, in every month it is open.
Can you drink the water on the Athabasca Glacier?
Yes. Meltwater runs across the surface in the visitor area and guests are invited to fill a bottle from it. Bring an empty one — nothing is sold on the ice.
Are there toilets at the Skywalk?
No. Washrooms are at the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre only. There are none at the Skywalk and none during the glacier excursion, so use them before you board either shuttle.
Is the Columbia Icefield Skywalk scary if you dislike heights?
The platform is engineered for the drop and enclosed by glass barriers, but there is genuinely nothing but glass underfoot at the outer curve. Visitors who would rather not stand on it can still walk the boardwalk and stop short of the glass section, which keeps the view and loses the floor.
Walk on the Glacier, Then Over the Valley
The combined Pursuit ticket puts you on the Athabasca Glacier aboard an Ice Explorer and out onto the Skywalk's glass floor, with shuttles between them. Rated 4.6 by more than 3,100 guests.
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